Non-Academic Careers

Philosophy of Science in Science Policy

Dan Hicks
dhicks.github.io/policy-jobs-talk

Who?

Science and society

  • Philosophy of science
    • Plus history and sociology of science, gender studies
  • Science can be a force for good
  • But often has been actively harmful
    • race science and eugenics
    • naturalizing sexism and cissexism
    • weapons of mass destruction
    • fossil fuels, plastics, and pesticides
    • colonialism, propaganda, and psychological torture
  • What to do? Democratize science and policy
  • Engagement with scientists, publics, and policymakers

Fernández Pinto and Hicks 2019, DOI: 10.1289/EHP3317

My postdoc Odyssey

  • Born in Bay Area, grew up in Sierra Nevada foothills
  • PhD in 2012
  • Various postdocs from 2012-2015
  • ~150-200 tenure-track job applications
  • All unsuccessful
  • Philosophy’s ivory tower culture
    • The more abstract the better
    • Any philosophy that’s useful is “merely applied”
    • Other disciplines are inferior to philosophy

My postdoc Odyssey

  • 2015-17: AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship
  • 2017: Whoops, Trump, finding a policy job is impossible
  • 2017: Back to California for yet another postdoc
    • Expected to end up in staff position at UC Davis, in state government, or the tech industry
  • 2019: Miraculous TT job offer from UC Merced

AAAS Fellowship

AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellowship

  • First cohort in 1973
  • Placing “science PhDs” into the federal government
  • Network of a few thousand alumni
  • In my cohort, ~280 participants
    • 15-20 social scientists and humanists
  • Wide range of participating agencies
    • EPA, NSF, NIH, USAID, State, Energy, USDA, Defense
  • Up to 2 years
  • Historically, roughly 1/3 of alumni end up in government, 1/3 in academia, 1/3 in nonprofits
  • Open to PhDs and engineers at all career stages

2015-16: Environmental Protection Agency

Chemical Safety for Sustainability

EPA-conducted HTT papers and the broader scientific community

2016-17: National Science Foundation

NRI: National Robotics Initiative

NRI-funded novel collaborations

AAAS STPF: More info

  • Program website
  • Eligibility
    • Doctoral level science degree or master’s in engineering
      • Includes any field of social science
      • History, philosophy, sociology of science are also good
      • Is your kind of research funded by NIH or NSF?
    • US citizen
  • Applications due November 1 each year
  • Must have PhD in hand when applying
  • Separate application processes for executive branch vs. Congress

Other fellowships

Academia, government, nonprofits

Academia: Pros and cons

Pro

  • Academic freedom
  • Great job security and benefits (if you have tenure)
  • Salaries okay to pretty good
  • Academic summers

Con

  • Publish or perish
  • Disciplinary policing
  • Can’t choose where you live
  • Job market for TT positions is ridiculously broken
  • Job security and benefits vary wildly if you’re not tenured faculty

Government

Pro

  • DC and state capitols have good quality of life
  • Good to great job security and benefits
  • Direct social/policy impact of your work
  • Job market can be complicated but usually isn’t super tight

Con

  • Report to a manager or supervisor
  • Standard business hours
  • Hatch Act
  • Constrained by political priorities

Nonprofit/Advocacy

Pro

  • Offices are generally in major cities
  • (Somewhat) direct social/policy impact
  • Not constrained by Hatch Act or political priorities

Con

  • Salaries generally not great
  • Constrained by org’s priorities and values

Questions?

dhicks.github.io/policy-jobs-talk